5 out of 5

James Stokoe understood the assignment.

Without prattling on for too long, a lot of takes on this Gotcha style on single-episode storytelling – which maybe starts with The Twilight Zone, but extends into different areas, like Tales from the Crypt, or Future Shocks, and includes some revivals of The Twilight Zone – can focus somewhat exclusively on the “gotcha” element of the tale, to the extent of rendering the rest of the story weightless. An acceptable version of this is when the buildup is weird enough to at least make the first viewing / reading interesting; an obnoxious version is when you can tell that things are being purposefully obtuse or quirky just so the punchline comes across as a punchline.

The best versions, such as The Relic, work the first time, and multiple times thereafter, maybe even taking on more weight once you fully know what to expect. The Relic is so good in this regard that some of it is actually spoiled by the cover (Stokoe’s versions, at least), and still, when we hit a particular point in the story… well, it hits, regardless of that pre-spoiling.

The Relic tells of a war between a growing band of raiders and their fanatical leader, versus a walled-off building that houses some apparently powerful relic. It’s exciting; it’s silly. Stokoe embraces the Zone narrational style, leans into some character absurdities, but has a keen ear for balancing that with self-awareness, such that the story feels kinda timeless, picking at human foibles and smirking, though acknowledging that we’re all part of the same circus.

If you’re a fan of Stokoe’s art, you will not be disappointed – I’m actually shocked how much even Stokoe packs into every page and panel – and this works absolutely brilliant in black and white (and shades between); James knows how to adapt his style to the limitations of the project.